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Edin Terzic: "A sold-out game under the floodlights – this is what we train for!"
"The biggest thing is the thrill of anticipation before it finally gets underway. We have prepared ourselves intensively for a very long time, spent a lot of time planning and have worked well," says Terzic. "There is also a bit of curiosity about where we stand." About a month ago, the coach welcomed the first players to the start of pre-season in Dortmund, and two weeks later, the international players linked up with the group. In the friendly matches, BVB kicked off with three victories against lower-ranking opponents Lüner SV, Dynamo Dresden and SC Verl,
but went on to lose against top Spanish teams Valencia and Villarreal during the training camp in Bad Ragaz. "We took a few things away from pre-season. Of course, the results weren't what we were looking for, and we were not happy with the second halves against Valencia and Villarreal," said Terzic. "We have spoken about those things and worked on them – both on the training ground and off the pitch, because we want to improve on them as quickly as possible." Those improvements are expected to be on show against 1860.
In addition to Sebastien Haller, who is sick, Tom Rothe, Felix Passlack and Salih Özcan will also miss the game. The new signing has been pain-free for two days and is expected to up the intensity over the coming period. Mo Dahoud, Marco Reus and Jude Bellingham, who were out injured recently, have completed some of the team training on Tuesday and are expected to step up their efforts further. Gregor Kobel and Emre Can have already trained and will be available on Friday.
The coach was not ready to disclose the system he will use and who will fill the vacant spot at centre forward: "We tried something different last week with the two centre forwards, went for pace, and were looking to create space. But we also have some players who can play up-front on their own. You'll have to wait and see what we try out on Friday."
Opponents 1860 Munich have already played their first competitive game, having kicked off their Drittliga season by beating Dynamo Dresden away. They ran out 4-3 winners. In addition, they made it into the second round of the Bavarian Landespokal. "They finished fourth last season, but were second in the table for the second half of the season. This season, they have carried on where they left off," said Terzic, who emphasised the opposition's strengths: attacking set pieces, compact defending and second balls.
Nevertheless, BVB are looking to show what they can do in the knockout game. "This competition is very important to us. BVB always want to compete for titles, and this is the first title up for grabs. But there is no point thinking about May now. We want to go into every round very diligently, professionally and with determination." That starts on Friday evening: "A sold-out game under the floodlights – this is what we train for, and we cannot wait for it."
Christina Reinke
BVB-TV by 1&1: The press conference before the match against 1860 Munich